This invention relates to a front-end bucket loader which is easily portable and which may be operated by attachment to a garden tractor or pickup truck. More particularly, the invention relates to a mechanical scoop actuated by winch-operated cables which is easily portable and easily operated, yet which has a high work capacity.
Bucket loaders, sometimes referred to as "front-end loaders", are frequently used in the construction industry for scooping dirt, rocks, or debris from a pile, and transferring the material held in the bucket to another location, e.g., to a dump truck. In general, bucket loaders are sizable, self-powered items of equipment, and are quite expensive to purchase and operate. In addition, because of the expense of purchasing a loader, it must be used frequently to justify its purchase. However, there are many small jobs in which a loader can be used for transferring dirt or debris from one location to another, but in which the use of a large loader is unnecessary. In many of these jobs, such as small construction jobs or farm related jobs, use of a loader is essential, but only for short time periods or to move small piles of material, thus not justifying the purchase or lease of a major piece of equipment. A need exists for a loader which can be attached to a simple garden tractor or pickup truck, yet which is capable of handling single loads in the 1,000-2,000 pound range.
The loader of the invention is mounted on a wheeled frame which is easily towed by attaching a conventional trailer hitch mounted on the frame to a tractor, pickup truck, or other vehicle. The loader can also be operated from the seat of these vehicles by means of a simple remote control switch which requires only four operating positions. Control of rotational attitude and vertical elevation of the bucket is powered by a self-contained 12 volt D.C. battery which powers two electrical cable winches. In a preferred embodiment, a single cable is operatively connected to a sheave mounted on a bucket-carrying boom, and the single cable controls all operations of the device. The apparatus of the invention provides a simple, inexpensive, easily manufactured bucket loader attachment operable by means of a four position electrical switch.
Cable-operated lift devices which attach to a tractor are shown in Spaeth, U.S. Pat. No. 2,367,150 and Ginder, U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,994. These devices are designed to lift light loads (e.g., hay), and do not have the scoop control features of the loader of the invention. A cable-operated backhoe is shown in Pehkonen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,837,220. These disclosures do not show a cable-actuated bucket loader of the type described herein.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a scoop-type loading device which is easily portable by conventional small vehicles. It is another object of the invention to provide a bucket loader attachment which operates easily by means of two independent electrical cable winches. It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a bucket loader having a full load and dump cycle which can be easily effectuated by four switch movements. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof.